Don Winslow’s Border Trilogy Comes to FX

It looks like more Don Winslow novels are headed to the screen, but this time the acclaimed Savages author will make cable his home. Deadline reports that FX has picked up an adaption Winslow’s loose trilogy of drug trafficking novels, known as the Cartel Series. I’ve been a fan of Winslow since the film adaptation of Savages. Since then, I’ve read all of his books, from his Boone Daniels duology to his early work with the Neal Carey series. However, Winslow began what is arguably his magnum opus with The Power of the Dog, followed ten years later by The Cartel, and recently culminating with The Border, The first two books were initially being developed as a feature for Ridley Scott to direct (along with The Force, a Godfather-style cop novel he wrote between The Cartel and The Border, which is still in the works for Logan director James Mangold). Scott will be an executive producer on the series.

According to the article, the projects’ move to television directly results from the imminent Disney-Fox merger. While I would have loved to see a big crime feature from Ridley Scott a la 2007’s American Gangster, I suppose TV would be a better fit. That way, they’ll have the chance to film Don Winslow’s whole trilogy rather than a two-and-a-half-hour film. While the Disney-Fox merger has frustrated me for a variety of reasons, I can’t help but think this development will be to FX’s gain. They’ve been on a creative upswing lately, whether it’s Legion, Trust, or even the upcoming adaptation of James Clavell’s Shogun, Landgraf and co. seem content to embrace their own very particular brand. My only wish would be that Landgraff was staying put at FX after the merger so he could see projects like this through to completion. Regardless, I can’t wait to see what the producing duo of Don Winslow and Shane Salerno (who also produced Savages) will bring us.

Are you excited for the Don Winslow series or would you rather it didn’t cross over into television? Let us know in the comments!